Hand-ball.



Patented may 20,1902. 3. r. nowmzv.

HAND BALL (Applicatidn filed Aug. 1'], 1901.)

(No Model.)

mm: i

Tm: Dams PETERS 00.. Puma-Lima, wAsnl UNITED STATEs' PATENT OEEIOE.

RICHARD F. DOWNEY, OF ILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO THE AUTOMATICPORTABLE BOWLING ALLEY COMPANY, OF MENOMINEE,

MICHIGAN.

HAND-BALL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 700,411, dated May 2Q,1902.

' Application filed August 17,1901. Serial No. 72,380. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD F. DOWNEY, a citizen of theUnited States,and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofWisconsin,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHand-Balls; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof.

Myinvention relates especially to balls employed in bowling-alleys; andit consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination ofparts, as will be fully set forth hereinafter in connection with theaccompanying drawings and subsequently claim-ed.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 isa View of one of my improved balls,partly broken away and in section on the line 1 1 of Fig. 3 to betterillustrate certain details of construction. 7 Fig. 2 is a like 'view,but with the ball disposed at right angles to the position shown in Fig.1 and with the interior parts shown as they appear looking from the line2 2 of said Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a like view, partly in section, on theline 3 3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Heretofore 'with the ordinary balls employed in bowling the same,particularly those of large diameter, have been usually made with fingerand thumb holes bored therein for the more ready handling of the balls,and as a result it is seldom that such balls Will roll in a straightline from one end of the alloy to the other. My present invention isdesigned to obviate this defect by means of the construction hereinillustrated and described.

Referring to the drawings, or represents a ball of ordinary materialemployed in bowling, said ball having a section or portion thereof cutout, as indicated in the drawings, within which recess thus formed thereis secured a casing consisting, primarily, of two metallic or otherplates 1) c, the plate 0 having a laterallyprojecting base portion d,wherebythe'two plates are fastened together, as by a screw or rivet 6.Between the said plates there are secured by the pivots f f a pair ofspring-controlled movable plugs g It,

the shanks of said plugs being shouldered or offset, as best shown inFig. 4, after the manner of shear-blades, and there being a pair ofspringsc 2' secured to the base-plate d, the free ends of said springsbearing against the lowerfree edges of said plugs to keep their outerends normally spread apart to their fullest ex tent, as shown in Fig. 1,the outer edges of the plates 1) 0 being united and centrallyusing theball, the'latter being very slightly cut away, as shown at m m, tojustreceive the finger and thumb nails of the one grasp= ing the ball atthe beginning of the contact, The opposite side edges of the plugs g hare further preferably slightly recessed, as indicated at n n, to afiorda better thumb-and finger grasp when those members are thrust into theball, and the plugs-arepreferably bored partly through andfitted withsprings 0 and pins 10 and the adj acentplateindented to receive the saidpins, thus affording a slight momentary detent for the plugs'inapartlycompressed position, thereby facilitating the entrance ofvthe'thumb andfinger to the full extent and lessening the frictionalcontact of the plugs therewith ,in thebeginning.

The operationof my device will -be apparent from the foregoingdescription of its construction, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, and in use the moment the ball leaves the hand ofthe player the springs 1 I will force the plugs to the fullclosedposition shown in,Fig.- l,-thereby-insuring that the ball is betterbalanced than if the thumb and fingerholeswere left open and aiding saidballi'in keeping a straight course on the alley, the exterior contour ofthe plugs g h then conforming exactly to the outer shape of the ball andcompleting the sphere.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in

Patent, is the county of Milwaukee and State of Wis- A hand-ball,recessed for the reception of cousin, in the presence of two witnesses.

the thumb and finger of the user, in combi- RICHARD F. DOIVNEYi 5 nationwith pivoted spring-controlled plugs \Vitnesses:

for closing the same. H. G. UNDERWOOD,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I B. O. ROLOFF.

